Foreign spy agency tried to ‘sabotage’ Zim cricket tour: Pak

Pakistan’s Punjab government on Tuesday alleged that a foreign intelligence agency tried to “sabotage” the Zimbabwe cricket team’s tour to the country last month.

Punjab Home Minister Col (Retd) Shuja Khanzada told the Punjab Assembly that the Zimbabwe cricket team manager had received a threatening text message from an unknown number when he landed in Dubai along with the team.

“It warned him that if they [Zimbabwe cricket team and staff] visited Pakistan, they would get the same treatment there what Daesh [Islamic State] is doing in Iraq,” he said.

“Thank God the Zimbabwe team tour was successful and now Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Australia are also coming to Pakistan to play cricket,” the Home Minister said.

Zimbabwe toured Pakistan on May 19 for three ODIs and two T20s.

Suicide bomb attack

Despite strict security at the stadium and its surroundings, a suicide bomber blew himself up in an auto rickshaw outside the Gaddafi Stadium killing two people during the second ODI between the two countries.

The Zimbabwe team, however, went ahead with its scheduled 3rd ODI but charged an extra $1,00,000 from the Pakistan Cricket Board.